METZ v MONACO
Friday 18th August 2017 – Kickoff: 2045hrs
Football – France – Ligue 1 Betting Tips
French Ligue 1 action returns on Friday night with lowly placed hosts, Metz, taking on the current French champions, Monaco, at their Stade Saint-Symphorien with the home side looking to get off the mark in this new campaign.
Back-to-back defeats to Guingamp 3-1 at home and a 2-0 loss at Bordeaux are not great preparation ahead of facing the title holders, and even though they hold home advantage here this evening, Metz are expected to be up against it for the majority of the 90 minutes against far superior opposition.
Metz finished in 14th place last season, but they’ve lost their last three league matches on the trot, as well as having lost their last five encounters with Monaco, with their last home match against them ending in a 7-0 defeat.
Onto Monaco then, and they’ve started strongly again this season as they seek to defend their Ligue 1 title which was a most refreshing changing of the guard as they replaced the perennial winners, PSG, on the winners podium at the end of the last campaign.
But during the summer, the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea have raided some of Monaco’s prized assets in the shape of Mendy and Silva (to Man City) and Bakayoko (to Chelsea), so Monaco’s encouraging start to this season with back-to-back wins over Toulouse and Dijon respectively, would have been very welcome.
The fixture list has been kind to Monaco in these early weeks of the new French Ligue 1 season, and with a visit to strugglers Metz, along with retaining their prize striker, Mbappe, to date (well supported by experienced Falcao), I’ll make hay while the sun shines.
Pick: Monaco AH-1 @ 1.77 bet365
